PIA operates Boeing 737-800 aircraft on wet lease from Turkey

National flag carrier says 2 narrow-body jets have been obtained on wet lease from a Turkish operator for three months

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has become the first national airline to fly Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

PIA operated the two short to medium range, narrow-body jets on Friday. “The two Boeing 737-800 aircraft obtained by PIA on wet lease from a Turkish operator earlier this week are being put into operation from today,” the national flag carrier said in a statement. “No other airline in Pakistan is currently using this aircraft,” it added.

PIA becomes first Pakistani airline to fly Boeing 737-800 aircraft Karachi; January 20, 2017 The two Boeing (cont) https://t.co/3srIRwOa5c

— PIA (@Official_PIA) January 20, 2017

According to the state-owned airline, the aircraft have been obtained for a period of three months and two more similar aircraft are expected to join its fleet in near future.

The decision to induct the aircraft was taken in order to meet an acute shortage of airplanes which, the airline said, was created due to the grounding of four aged A-310 aircraft at the end of last year. “The narrow-body aircraft have a capacity of carrying 189 passengers in all-economy configuration.”

Giving out details of the newly-inducted aircraft’s flight schedule, it said: “The two aircraft would operate six flights today which include PK-316 (Karachi-Lahore), PK-317 (Lahore-Karachi), PK-306 (Karachi-Lahore), PK-307 (Lahore-Karachi), PK-380 (Karachi-Multan-Islamabad) and PK-319 (Islamabad-Karachi).”